It was a good game for the neutral. I told them at half-time that they had to go out and win this game. That they might have to score four to win it.

Everton boss David Moyes

The two strikers left their prints all over this tremendous six-goal thriller at Goodison with a double each.

They were goals of high quality and drama with the Everton hero grabbing a nerve-jangling equaliser deep into added time.

Benteke got Aston Villa off to a flyer and although Victor Anichebe equalised, strikes from Gabriel Agbonlahor and Benteke again made Villa the real ­suspects for a quick and valuable kill.

But Fellaini wouldn’t let Villa get away with anything. He brought the game to 3-2 and then celebrated heading Everton level with that sensational third.

Toffees boss David Moyes, who had hoped to grab an overnight fourth place with a victory, breathed a massive sigh of relief while his counterpart Paul Lambert wondered what the hell ­happened.

Moyes said: “It was a good game for the neutral. I told them at half-time that they had to go out and win this game. That they might have to score four to win it.

“They didn’t half keep going. Benteke and Fellaini are both hard to play against. They have that physical ­presence.

“We’re happy with the way Fellaini got his goals and I’m sure they will be happy Benteke got his goals for them.”

Lambert, disappointed to drop two points, said: “I thought we deserved to win it. You never get an easy game here and I couldn’t fault how the lads played. It was disappointing to only get a point.

“If we continue to play like this we will start to get results.”

Everton haven’t beaten Villa on home soil in the league for almost seven years – and the way the visitors started we ­always knew that was a record which could easily stand come the final ­whistle.

All the pre-match talk was about ­Everton securing a top-four spot and the next step in the FA Cup, a Fifth-Round tie at Oldham. But once the game started they were caught napping and fell ­behind to Villa after exactly one minute and fifty seven seconds.

Everton’s back four were asleep as Benteke got the ball outside the box.

Heitinga closed in but Benteke ­ left him in his wake before rolling the ball into the bottom corner.